And the winners of the last GODDESS ARCS are…
Fien Verniers
Leah Sullivan
Jennifer Green
Katherina Barney
Grace Martin
Patrycja Zaśko
Rachel Gibbons
Cianna Fernandez
Donna Lawrence
Congratulations to all of you!!! Please email me your mailing addresses and I will send out your ARCS ASAP. My email address can be found in the CONTACT section of my website.
These are the last ARCs, but for those of you who didn’t win, don’t worry, GODDESS comes out May 24th in the UK and May 28th in the US, so the wait isn’t too much longer.
Thanks to everyone who added to the Gratitude List and left me something to be happy about. It was a great way to brighten my day, and I hope yours as well.
Speak soon!!
xxxo
Josie
Last call to enter the GODDESS giveaway!
Just a reminder that the deadline to enter is this coming Friday. Don’t miss out. I’m giving away 9 ARCS of GODDESS!
Final GODDESS ARC Giveaway!!
Can ONE woman give away NINE advanced reader’s copies in THREE weeks?
Heck yeah.
What we have here is a regular bonanza. And I need a bonanza because I got really sad this week.
Boston hasn’t been my home in many years, but my family is still there, and the Boston Marathon has always been a big event for us. It goes right through the center of my hometown–Ashland–and my clan and I are accustomed to hanging out in a relative’s front yard, shaking our heads at the lunatics jogging by who still have about 22 miles to go before they hit Heartbreak Hill.
This year, heartbreak happened after the hill.
I have a lot to be grateful for. My eldest sister Margaret was at the finish line to cheer in a friend who had run the marathon. Luckily, her friend ran the marathon in three hours and six minutes, so Mags was long gone before the bombing–but to tell you all the truth, I’m still a little shaky over that one.
I think we’re all a little shaky over this one, even people who have never been to Boston, so I want to give something a try. When I was in high school, I started this circling note called “The Things To be Happy About List”. I would list things that made me happy, like: That street lights know exactly when to turn on at night. Or: The way laughter and yawns are both contagious, but neither of them kill you. I then passed the note around encouraging other people to add things they were happy about to the list, and on and on it went.
In light of the tragedy in Boston, I think we all need to remind ourselves of what’s really important. I know I do.
As always, I want all of you to chime in. To lift my spirits–and maybe to lift yours–I want everyone to leave a comment telling me one thing you are grateful for today, and we can start a new list.
A Gratitude List.
Me? I’m grateful my sister’s friend is a really fast runner.
Your turn.
The giveaway ends Friday, May 10th, and as always, it is international.
In order to enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter entry form below.
And the winner of my giveaway is…
Eli Yanti
Congratulations, Eli!!! Email me your mailing address and I will send your goodies out to you ASAP.
And, last but not least, the winners of the Spring 2013 Scavenger Hunt are…
For Red Team:
Candy
For Blue Team:
Gabby A
Each of these winners has been contacted by email already.
As for the blog post question, I would pick LOVE 100%! Fame seems lonely, and annoying… unless you like the paparazzi. ;)
Anyway, thank you all for participating. For those of you who didn’t win, you’ll be happy to hear that I have 10, yes TEN, GODDESS ARCS to give away in the next few weeks.
So don’t stray too far!
xxxo
Josie
Welcome to the 2013 Spring YA Scavenger Hunt!
Hi! I’m Josie.
And this tri-annual event was first organized by the amazing Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes!
[Read More...]
Starcrossed City
As promised here’s the short story I wrote for World Book Day.
Hope you enjoy!
——————————————————————————————-
I’ve always hated the first day of school. Even worse is the first day of school in a new city. It would be easier if we didn’t move so much. If I could just stay put in one school for long enough I’m sure the other kids would get used to the way I look, maybe even start to accept me. I guess it doesn’t really matter anymore. I’m a senior this year. All I have to do is survive until graduation.
And the winner of the 2nd Goddess ARC is…
Amy Zhao
Congratulations, Amy!!
Send me your email address and I will get the ARC out to you ASAP.
I can’t believe how many comments you all left me. I must have hit a nerve with the whole “friend or boyfriend” question. Either that or you all really, really want and ARC!
But seriously, there has been so much support building for the release of GODDESS and your excitement has been such a thrill for me. Thank you all so much. It means the world to me.
As to what I would do if I had to choose between a friend and a boyfriend who hate each other. This is a tough one (which is why I went to all of you for help).
Something in me says that as long as the guy isn’t doing something abusive, the friend should suck it up, take a step back, and wait for the relationship to crash and burn on its own anyway. When your best friend—the person who knows you better than anyone—hates your man, the odds are that it won’t work out with him anyway. And when the inevitable break up happens, the best friend can swoop in with take-out under one arm and a dartboard with the jerk’s face on it under the other.
But as soon as I write that, it seems so…icky. Like friendships aren’t as important as romantic relationships, and that’s not the case as far as I’m concerned.
Anyway, thank you all for your opinions.
Stay tuned for another ARC giveaway and… some exciting news! ;)
xxxo
Josie
Last Call for the 2nd GODDESS ARC Giveaway!
Two days left to enter. Don’t miss out!
2nd GODDESS ARC Giveaway!
Happy New Year!!
I hope you all had a fantastic holiday. I spent it at the vet. My cat Pickles got an ear infection and has been relegated to the Cone of Shame to keep him from scratching while he heals. He’s not happy about it.
I hope your New Year’s was better than his. 
[Read More...]
Winter YA Scavenger Hunt Winner!
The winner of Team Red’s Scavenger Hunt is:
Janice Bartelt
And the winner of my own personal giveaway is:
Jen Wheeler
Congratulations Jen!! Email me your mailing address and I will get the books out to you ASAP.
Thank you all for participating! I will be giving away another copy of Goddess soon so stay tuned.
xxxo
Josie
And the winner of the 1st GODDESS ARC is…!
Giaochau Nguyen
Congratulations! Email me your address and I’ll send you a signed copy of Goddess ASAP.
I asked you all if you would rather have a stable love or a star-crossed one. It was pretty evenly split, but one thing really surprised me. There were a lot of people who responded that they would pick a stable love because they believed that passion could grow over time.
It really stuck with me, probably because I don’t know if I agree. I’ve always thought that passion was something that hit you right off the bat, while love was that thing that grew over time. But you know what, who really knows, right? Perhaps passion can grow over time as some of you have attested.
As for me, well, I would choose STABLE any day of the week! I’ve had enough crazy in my life for ten people. I am perfectly happy writing about impossible love all day and then going to bed with my gorgeous and completely drama-free husband at night. 
xxxo
Josie
My Exclusive Bonus Material for the YA Scavenger Hunt. The First Chapter of GODDESS!
CHAPTER ONE
Helen could see what she guessed was the River Styx just off to her left. It was a roaring torrent, riddled with icebergs. No sane person would dare swim across it. Feeling stranded, she limped around in a tight circle. A quick scan of the horizon showed that there was no one else on the barren plain.
Welcome to the Winter YA Scavenger Hunt!
This tri-annual event was first organized by the amazing Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes!
Last Day To Enter the GODDESS ARC Giveaway is Friday!
Also, just wanted to let you all know that the Winter YA Scavenger Hunt starts this Thursday.
And guess what my bonus content will be?
The 1st Chapter of Goddess! 
Ta-da! My Very First GODDESS ARC Giveaway!
Here it is, my precious StarHearts. The final book in the Starcrossed trilogy. One lucky winner is about to receive the very first ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) of Goddess…!
And you’ll get to rub it in everyone else’s faces! Just kidding of course. Don’t be mean. But you will get to find out if Helen and Lucas get together, if Daphne ever comes clean, and who among the main characters lives or dies (insert evil cackle here).
A Completely True (if not totally terrifying) Ghost Story
I wrote this for MyKindaBook for Halloween. I thought I’d share it with you all here also.
————————-
I grew up with seven elder siblings who used to like to scare the stuffing out me. They told me stories about how the attic was haunted, the garage, the shed out back—pretty much any building with a rusty tool or a cobweb was definitely the site of a gruesome murder. The victim was nearly always a skinny blonde girl with a big mouth who had stolen something from her sister’s make-up bag or closet, so no one really missed her after she was dead anyway.
Meet me this Friday, August 31st!
Howdy-do, campers!
Sorry I’ve been MIA. I’ve been writing a heck of a lot. I’m happy to report that my next book is coming along. I can’t wait to be able to tell you more about it, but for now mums the word. Between that, studio meetings (yes, there’s been a lot of that. I can’t talk about that either, but I promise to let you know more if there’s anything concrete to report. I’m awfully tight-lipped, aren’t I?) and a little trip I’m taking to France with some of my best writer buds, Amy Plum, Tara Hudson and Anna Carey, it’s been insane around here.
Speaking of which, one of these buds, Anna Carey, is going to be doing the event at Vroman’s in Pasadena with me this Friday at 7:00. If you’re interested in coming along click HERE for more information. I sure hope everyone of you in the So-Cal area can make it. It’s going to be a ton of fun. Anna is hi-larious!
On a completely different note, I’m going to have to cut this short. My cat Onion just fell off the couch and hurt her leg. She’s old, and she’s always sort of been a dud health-wise. I swear I’ve spent more money on her doctor’s bill over the past 13 years than I have my own. I’m going to go watch her now with my finger on the vet’s number. Speak soon.
Oh, and stay tuned for a little giveaway. As soon as I get it all worked out I’ll let you know.
xxxo
Josie
YA Scavenger Hunt Announcements!
We have a winner! Actually, we have three. Let’s start with the winners of the YA Hunt. (cue impressive music.) I’ve been watching the Olympics non-stop all week. (Keep imagining the horns swelling, the drums beating) And I have a new found love of all things competitive. To cross the finish line first, to jump higher, swim faster, and (in water polo) to drown your opponent without getting caught! In a phrase TO WIN! (Imagine your flag rising).
And the winners of the YASH are:
Grand Prize Winner for the Blue Team:
Asad K.
Grand Prize Winner for the Red Team:
Nicole M.
You’ve just won gold!
Okay, maybe not a gold, but you’ve won a truck load of books which is pretty darn good. Congratulations!
Welcome to the Summer YA Scavenger Hunt!
This tri-annual event was first organized by the amazing Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors…and a chance to win some awesome prizes!
My Exclusive Bonus Material for the YA Scavenger Hunt. The First Page of GODDESS!
Chapter One
Helen could see what she guessed was the River Styx just off to her left. It was a roaring torrent, riddled with ice burgs. No sane person would dare to swim across it. Feeling stranded, she limped around in a tight circle. A quick scan of the horizon showed that there was no one else on the barren plain.
It’s here! The summer YA Scavenger Hunt!
Get your horses, get your hounds. WE’RE GONNA HUNT!!!
Okay, there’s no fox at the end of this one, but we’ve got something so much better. How’s about a chance to win over 50 books?
Was that thud I heard your hearts, or your butts hitting the floor?
Here are the deets. It starts Wednesday August 1, noon, PST.
Scroll down for a list of the participating authors.
Come meet me!
If you are in the Los Angeles area I will be at the Central Library doing the LA Teen Read this Thursday the 26th.
Come and hear me read out loud!
It’s like TV, but without the actors or the set! :)
And the winners of the Team Fate jerseys are…
Before I announce the winners I’d like to take a moment to thank you all so much for spreading the love. I know that a lot of you weren’t just doing this for a t-shirt. You did it to support me and my series. It means the world to me that there are so many of you who have fallen for Starcrossed and want it to be a success.
One quick thing, though.
Um… I may have inadvertently gotten one or two of you in trouble with Twitter. I had no idea that was going to happen and I’m really sorry about that. So, if I do one of these Twitter things again, I’m going to rework the format so that there are only so many entires or something like that. That was poor planning on my part, and, um, yeah. Whoops.
Anyway! On to the fun part.
The winners are….
Jennifer Brookes
Rose Hairston
Emily Siess
Congratulations you three!!! Email me your addresses and I will get the jerseys out to you ASAP.
Once again, thank you all so much for your love and support. You are the best fans ever!!!!
xxxo
Josie
Spread the Love!
First of all, I would like to take this moment to thank you all. I’ve been getting so many amazing Tweets and posts on my Facebook page these past few weeks about Dreamless. Every day, dozens of you, my precious StarHearts, both old and new, send me their love for the series. I’ve been walking around with a blissed-out grin on my face for weeks.
But while I absolutely adore getting bathed with your support, I would love your help getting the word out to a few other people. The media! I want to let them know how you feel.
Renee Grant made these stylin’ Team Fate jerseys.
Aren’t they cool!? Renee did this all on her own (thx Renee!), so there aren’t that many jerseys to go around just yet, but she agreed to let me give 3 away on my site.
Here’s what I’d like you to do.
Tweet the media outlets I’ve set up for you in the Rafflecopter entry form. Sample Tweet: (Recommend #Starcrossed #Dreamless by @josieangelini great summer reads! @USATODAYBooks)
Something like that. I’ve included 9 media outlets in the entry form. Do as many as you can. Each Tweet earns you 2 points. The more points, the better your chances of wining a Team Fate jersey.
The deadline to enter is Monday, July 16th. The 3 winners will be announced on Tuesday the 17th.
And of course, the giveaway is international. :)
Good luck and thank you!! <3
xxxo
Josie
Come Meet Me This Saturday!
At the Barnes & Noble in The Grove!
Click on the link below for details.
Hope to see you there!!
Josie
My Helen Hamilton
I was on a jumbo jet, having very nearly missed my flight back to the States. My husband and I had just done a mad-dash through Heathrow Airport (I was in heeled boots, no less) and we were the last two people to board. Sweating, panting, and grimacing at the chorus of consumptive coughs all around me, I looked a few rows over and saw this face staring at me from the back of a magazine.
I nudged my husband, pointed to the full page ad and said, “Helen.” He agreed. But something about it bothered me, even though I knew it was right. She was wearing too much make up and her hair was done and, well, she was too fierce. She was GODDESS Helen, not STARCROSSED Helen. So I looked up the model, and I found this shot of her with no makeup on and her hair undone.
And I though, “yeah”. She’s wary, even hiding something. She does just about everything she can to downplay her looks and fit in a little better. She’s even hunching her shoulders a bit to hide how tall she is. This is Helen when she is still unsure of herself, and this is the Helen that I originally imagined. Shy. Guarded. The “fierce” part comes later, from a lot of suffering and fighting.
Just like it does for the rest of us. :)
Josie
And the winners of my last 3 DREAMLESS ARCs are…
Clarissa Chong
Becky Johnson
Esther Tomaszewski
Congratulations you three! Please send me your mailing addresses and I will send those out to you ASAP.
Thank you all so much for participating. If it’s any consolation to those of you who didn’t win… DREAMLESS is out in stores NOW!!!!!!!!!!
I went to my local B&N store at The Grove yesterday and they were just putting DREAMLESS up on the shelves, so you may not have to wait until Tuesday to get it. Call first just to make sure, but I think that a lot of stores put it out early because of Memorial weekend.
I asked you all to post your choice for a theme song for my book, and I got a ton of responses. I saw a vote for just about every love song ever written, both past and present. From Joe Cocker to Florence and the Machine to ABBA, you all had such amazing suggestion. Some of you even posted lyrics and links to song I may not have heard, so of course I had to check them out. Even when I was supposed to be working. My argument is that I am sort of working if it’s for my blog, right? Let me just say, that I spent way too much time listening to music because of this contest.
Although there were a ton of really unique choices, there was one song that I’m pretty sure came up more than any other– Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up”. This was your un-official choice for the theme song. For now anyway, because I’m sure if we wait a few months or so you’ll all may have different suggestions. Maybe we’ll do this again next year before GODDESS comes out?
Anyway, thank you all for chiming in!!
xxxo
Josie
Photos v. Imagination
I was always against posting pictures of my characters. I even fought my poor US editor about putting Helen’s face on the cover of my books. I argued that no two people have the same definition for the most beautiful face in the world, and that putting pictures of a girl on the cover would actually be detrimental to the book and to young women. What if a young woman picks up the book, looks at the cover, and says to herself, “well, I look nothing like her. I’m not white, or blonde, and I don’t have her eyes. Does that mean I’m not beautiful?”
No. It really doesn’t.
So I put up quite a stink. And, since Harper Teen just wants to make me happy, they let me have my way. And then they showed me the cover for DREAMLESS and I could see the model’s face. I fussed and fretted and told them to put her face (as lovely as it was) in shadow. And they let me have my way again. Thanks, Babs!
Then I got amnesia. Maybe I was kicked in the head by donkey and my husband decided not to mention it to me for nefarious “it’s your turn to clean the litter box” reasons, but somewhere along the way, I forgot why I fought having a face on the cover—and why I’ve decided to wait on going forward with any talk of a film until all three books are out. For whatever reason, I changed my mind and decided that posting pictures of my idea of the cast would be a great way to lead into the release of DREAMLESS. But sadly, I’m sensing that some of you, my dear StarHearts, are disappointed because my choices don’t match up to the images that you have in your heads.
Sometimes a picture isn’t worth thousand words.
Books are just words. There are no special effects or booming soundtracks. But books are awesome. They are awesome because they live inside our heads and inside our hearts. When we read we build worlds inside of ourselves, and every aspect of that world is so personal, and (if the book really touches us) every aspect of it is so intensely precious that we HATE it when someone comes along and messes with our beautiful world in any way. Even, and maybe more so, when the author comes along and tell us something different than what we expected.
Let me say this now. I’m not necessarily right about my interpretation. But you are. Your vision of the cast of characters is right, and there is nothing that I can post that will ever change that. Your cast is the right cast. Your vision of Helen’s bedroom is right. Your impression of the News Store is right. Your STARCROSSED is the right STARCROSSED—always and forever—because I wrote these books for you.
And if me posting pictures is ruining anyone’s experience, I’ll stop. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Should I keep posting, or not?
We’ll go from there.
Josie
One week to go…!!!
… before the release of DREAMLESS!!! I still can’t sleep to save my life. Talk about art imitating life. I’m anxious, nervous, edgy, antsy, you name it, I’m feeling it. I guess that means I’m not sleeping until next week. My husband is threatening to slip me a Mickey. :D
I wanted to remind you all about the ARC giveaway going on now. I’m giving away my last 3 ARCs of DREAMLESS. The deadline is Friday. Scroll down to read more about it.
Also, be sure and check out my blog tour starting today. It kicks off with a wonderful review from Hypable.
Check out Mundie Moms site for details on upcoming stops.
That’s all for now. Big hugs to all!
Josie
My Starcrossed Characters
Most of you have already told me, and showed me who you picture the Stacrossed characters to be. Now it’s my turn. If my series were ever to be made into films, something that I’m reluctant to let happen until all 3 books are out, I have a pretty good idea as to what Helen and Lucas would look like.
So… starting Monday on my Facebook Page I will be revealing my choices one by one, until the 29th of May, when I will reveal my Helen.
Stay tuned!
Final DREAMLESS ARC Giveaway!
Is this mike on? *tap tap*
Hidy-ho, StarHearts! I know I’ve been MIA, but I have such a good excuse. I’ve been out meeting some of you! I took my show on the road there for a bit. Most recently I was in Ontario, California for a way-more-fun-than-is-healthy-for-stay-at-home-writers panel with Jay Asher, Alexandra Monir, and Anna Carey. (For like 5 minutes Tahereh Mafi was there as well but she had to judge a spelling bee so she couldn’t stay. It was great to meet her, though, even if she couldn’t hang for long.)
And the fun doesn’t stop there. I’ll be in Nantucket June 15-17. I’ll be there for the Nantucket Book Festival, pimping some hardbacks. (Oooh that sounds way dirtier than I thought it would!) There are more appearances being worked out and will post them on my website as soon as I get all the details.
Anyway! The whole point of this rambling, half-incoherent post is that I’ve been wicked busy. But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten about you.
I’m giving away the last of my ARC’s before the book comes out. 3 of them! We’re going to have ourselves a regular bonanza! And of course, I have a doozy of a question for you.
Q: If you had to pick a theme song for the STARCROSSED series, which one would it be?
Be sure and leave me your answer as a comment.
The 3 winners will receive a signed ARC of DREAMLESS…
… along with signed DREAMLESS bookplates.
In order to enter the giveaway simply do the following:
The deadline to enter is Friday, May 25th. The winner will be announced on Saturday, May 27th.
Thank you and good luck to all!!
Josie
Last Chance To Win A DREAMLESS ARC
I have three ARCs of DREAMLESS left. So, for my final DREAMLESS giveaway, I’m giving them all alway!
I’ll post the details tomorrow.
And The Winner of the Dreamless ARC is…
Rebecca Hipworth
Congratulations, Rebecca!
Please send me your mailing address and I will send the ARC out to you ASAP. :)
As for the question, I asked you all what you would do if you found out that your best friend’s significant other was cheating on him/her– would you tell? And most of you said that you would. But I was a bit surprised (as always) that there were quite a few of you that said you would stay out of it.
I would NEVER be able to keep my mouth shut about something like that, even if it caused problems with my relationship with my friend. Even if I tried to keep it a secret because that was the best possible thing for my friend, I’m pretty sure it would just slip out. We’d be going to see and movie and I’d be all, “Hey (best friend). Pass the popcorn. And your man is a dirty lying whore.” I just don’t think I’d be able to keep my big mouth shut. It’s a problem being half Irish, half Italian. You end up saying whatever the hell you’re thinking and sometimes it gets messy.
As always, this question is something that may come up in my next book. Keep in mind that all of these questions I’m asking you are research for me. I’m really interested in what you all have to say and I want to know why you think the way you do. Finding out how and why people think the way they do helps me add layers to my characters, so I value all of your input.
Thanks again for taking the time to help me sort through some sticky moral issues, and I’ll be back again soon with another question and more stuff to give away soon.
Big Hug!
Josie
Ontario California Teen Book Festival
I will be at the 2nd annual Teen Book Festival in Ontario, California, THIS SATURDAY May 5 from 1 to 4 p.m. I would love to see all of my Southern California StarHearts there! ♥
Jay Asher, Anna Carey, and Alexandra Monir will also be there.
It will be tons of fun!
For information call: 909-395-2225.
Dreamless ARC Giveaway – The End is Near!
32 days to go before DREAMLESS comes out! I’m going to be doing a whole Nantucket-themed thing (haven’t really hammered out the details yet) right before the release, but I figured I still needed to keep my StarHearts’ old home fires burning with an in-between giveaway.
As you may know by now, I’ve been doing a bit of globe-trotting recently. I was in Chicago for RT, which is a big convention for both authors and readers. I roomed with Amy Plum and Tara Hudson– not because we had to, but because we thought it would be fun. And it was fun. Maybe a bit too much fun. I think I slept a grand total of 4 hours in 3 days.
Then, massively jet lagged, I went on to Sweden to speak at a festival called, LituraLund about the importance of reading. It was both pretty amazing and terrifying. Not that the Swedish are terrifying people, in fact they are stunningly sweet and welcoming, but I hadn’t spoken in front of so many teenagers since I was one. After initially wanting to run screaming from the auditorium, I eventually figured out how to use a Madonna-like headpiece microphone thingy without feeling like too much of a tool.
Then I came back to Los Angeles for the LA Times Festival of Books. I was on a panel, and used a basic, standing microphone instead of a head-hugger. Needless to say, I’m now nursing one hell of a cold. I don’t know if it was that lady coughing her brains out next to me on the 12 billion hour flight from London to LA, or if it was shaking hands and hugging so many people over the last few weeks, or tromping through the frozen streets of Lund, but man, am I sick. Did I mentioned it snowed while I was in Lund? Sweden is like, way north. It’s freaking arctic north, and my thin Southern California blood apparently doesn’t approve of snow in April.
Now, about that giveaway, as before, the winner will receive a signed ARC of DREAMLESS…
… along with a signed DREAMLESS bookplate.
As for the question, I’m curious as to what you would do given this situation. Say you were out and saw your best friend’s meaningful other with someone else. Would you tell your best friend, or let things play out? It’s a tough one, I know. But what would you do? Leave me a comment with your answer.
In order to enter the giveaway simply do the following:
The deadline to enter is Wednesday, May 2nd. The winner will be announced on Thursday May 3rd.
Thank you and good luck to all!!
Josie
And the winner of the Easter Dreamless Giveaway is…
Ina Park
Congratulations, Ina!
Please email me your address so I can send you the Dreamless ARC.
So here I am at RT, which is a huge book conference for Romance and YA writers. Anne Rice and Charlaine Harris were both here. I didn’t get to fan-girl either of them because I was waaay on the other side of the room, at my table, signing books. *sigh* But I felt their presence, and it was a beautiful thing.
But, about that giveaway…
I just want to say that there are a lot of forgiving girls out there. Most of you said that it depended on the circumstance and how committed you were to the man who had wronged you– which makes sense, of course– and most of you said that you would forgive him. At least the first time.
It sort of made me feel like a vindictive so-and-so. I would NEVER take a guy back if he dumped me. I never have, and I never will, no matter what the circumstance. Okay, if my husband dumped me because some evil Overlord was going to drop me into a bubbling vat of boiling acid if he didn’t divorce me, and then my dearest love killed said evil Overlord and begged for my forgiveness THEN I would forgive him. But that’s about it.
Maybe it is stingy of me, but I always see the ending of a relationship as being sort of like driving off a parking lot that has those spikes at the exit. If you back up, you will incur severe tire damage. The lot is the relationship, and the tires are your heart. Keep driving, young Jedi. Keep driving.
xxxo
Josie
Last Call!
Quick reminder, the deadline to enter the Easter Dreamless giveaway is tomorrow.
Good luck!
Easter Dreamless Giveaway!
You asked for it—you got it!
I love Easter. It’s the only time of year you can eat a bunny and not feel like a monster. I like to start with the tail, but I hear that the ears are the first choice of 71% of all chocolate bunny eaters. As usual, I’m in the minority. I really don’t have my finger on the pulse of…well, of anything, really.
But you do!
So once again, as part of the giveaway, I am asking a question that relates to the new series I’m writing. The question is this: Would you give a guy a second chance? And I mean he has totally messed up and done something truly unforgivable, like dumped you so he could date another girl (who is way hot), and then a few months later realized that the hot girl is giant moron and now he wants you back. That’s the kind of messing up I’m talking about.
So, what do you say? Is a guy that hurt you this badly re-dateable, or curb-worthy? Be sure and leave me a comment with your thoughts.
As before, the 1st place winner will receive a signed ARC of DREAMLESS…
… along with a signed DREAMLESS bookplate.
In order to enter the giveaway simply do the following:
The deadline to enter is Saturday, April 14th. The winner will be announced on Sunday, April 15th.
Thank you and good luck to all!!
Josie
DREAMLESS (Chapters 1 and 2)
I am reposting this and removing the password for those of you who didn’t get a chance to read them.
(NOTE: If I can make a suggestion, the document is best viewed as a PDF.)
Enjoy!
xxxo
Josie
And just like that…
… another hunt comes to an end.
Thank you all so much for participating. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves as much as I did. Without further ado, the winner of the Yellow Team Contest is…
Alan T.
Congratulations, Alan! Someone will be contacting you shortly. If you have any questions please visit the YA Scavenger Hunt site.
And last but not least, the winner of my contest is…
Becca Fowler
Congratulations, Becca! Be sure and email me your address so I can send you the books.
As for the question (Do you believe in love at first sight?), your responses skewed slightly towards not believing, although there were lots of you who did believe, or at least hoped.
Personally, I don’t think it can be real. I know, I know. I wrote a whole book about it. But if you’ll remember that was actually hate at first sight, which is far more entertaining. I do think first impressions really matter, though. I think they say a lot about how your relationship with another person is going to unfold.
I also think that most of us ignore our first impressions and then, months later, think to ourselves, “I should have known. When I first met him, I thought he was kind of a tool.” Of course, that rarely stops us from dating said tool.
Mostly, I believe in knowing if it’s someone you could love at first sight. But I also think we’re terribly bad at admitting that truth to ourselves when we finally do meet that person.
I have no idea why that is. Probably, we’re all just really stubborn.
But then again, I could be totally wrong.
xxxo
Josie
Welcome to the YA Scavenger Hunt!
Ahoy mateys!
Thank you for stopping by. For those of you who have never taken part in one of these, this tri-annual event was first organized by the amazing Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors, and while at it, win some awesome prizes!
During the Hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, but you also get a clue for the Hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter to win TWENTY signed books, one book from each author on the Hunt on each team!
I am a part of the YELLOW TEAM…
… but there is also a RED team and a BLUE team. You can enter all three contests–which has a total prize bucket of SIXTY signed books!
But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!
Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage to find out all about the Hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs. There are THREE contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter all three!
For my BONUS MATERIAL I have posted the first 2 chapters of DREAMLESS below this post! But in order to access it you’ll have to find the password which is posted in one of the YELLOW TEAM sites.
SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE
Directions: Hidden within my post is a single letter that is YELLOW. Make a note of that letter! It’s a part of a scrambled phrase. When you go to all the author sites of the YELLOW team, you’ll have all the letters you need to enter the contest.
Entry Form: Once you piece together all the clues to the hunt, make sure you fill out the form HERE to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the completed phrase will qualify.
Rules: Open internationally. Anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian’s permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize you must submit the completed entry form by April 1st, at noon Pacific Time.
Entries sent without the correct puzzle code or without contact information will not be considered.
And now, let’s get on with the Hunt.
FALSE ALARM!
For those of you who got that “Dreamless, Chapters 1 and 2″ email by mistake– OOOPS! I was testing my blog for the upcoming YA Scavenger Hunt. I’m not exactly savvy, savvy? And I did something or other when I thought I had erased it. Long story short, I accidentally sent it out to all of you. It’s not the first time I’ve sent emails I thought I had erased. *gulp* Anyway, sorry for the mix up. But think how excited you’ll be when you actually get the real deal?
The YA Scavenger Hunt starts the 29th. Over 60 YA authors will be participating, meaning you’ll have a chance to win close to 60 books! For more information here’s the LINK.
Josie
And the winner of the DREAMLESS ARC is…
Camille Oliveras
Congratulations, Camille!!!!
And… the winners of the Dreamless bookplates are:
Emily Ragsdale
Anna Dase
Congratulations! Email me your address and I will get your prizes out to you asap.
As you’ve probably guessed already, funny blew sexy out of the water. Almost all of you, even the ones that said they wanted a sexy guy, said he also had to be funny or it wouldn’t work.
(Note to self… make sure the lead guy you’re writing is funny… and swoon-worthy.)
I bet you’re all wondering where I stand on this. Here’s how I look at it– I’m the funny one, darn it. What I really need is someone to laugh at my jokes. I guess that would mean a sense of humor is implied, so humor is never totally off the table. But if I had to choose, give me the hottie who thinks I’m hilarious and I’m set for life. Lucky for me my husband is sexy AND funny so I don’t have to worry about making tough choices like that (and, yes, he pretty much always laughs at my jokes).
Anyway, thank you so much for your feedback. Your comments are such a big help to me. I’ll be asking you all to riff on other topics as my story progresses.
Also, be sure and mark your calendars. The next YA Scavenger Hunt is set for March 29th. For those of you who don’t know what the YA Scavenger Hunt is and would like to find out more, here’s a LINK.
A total of 60 YA authors are participating in this one, which means you have a chance of wining 60 books from some of your favorite writers!
I will personally be giving away copies of STARCROSSED AND DREAMLESS, as well as a very special treat for all my StarHearts.
I’ll be posting more details in the days to come.
xxxo
Josie
DREAMLESS ARC Giveaway! Funny vs Sexy
You all know that I’m working on a new series. It’s part of the reason I’ve promised you blog entires, but can’t seem to get it together long enough to riff on a topic for 500 words. Lame, I know, but right now what I really, really need (apart from your undying patience) is your feedback.
I’m outlining some new characters and, for any of you that are familiar with my process, outlining characters means that I write these ginormous character bios that start from before birth, and include everything from first day of school in fifth grade, to what he/she wore to homecoming.
I’m bananas like that. And the penalty for spending so much time with your characters is that you fall in love with all of them.
This is where you come in. I’ve got two guys. And I sort of love them both. I had to boil it down to the essentials and I decided that my indecision was based on a pretty fundamental question. Do I prefer a serious, smoldering kind of guy, or do I prefer a funny man?
So, here’s my question! Would you pick funny over sexy? What’s more important in a guy in the long run– the ability to make you laugh, or the ability to make the little hairs on your arm sit up like an adoring puppy dog?
WHO WOULD YOU PICK?
But it’s not like I’m asking you to work for free. Leave me your honest opinion and you might just win an ARC! ;)
The 1st place winner will receive a signed ARC of DREAMLESS…
… along with a signed DREAMLESS bookplate!
2nd and 3rd place winners will receive signed STARCROSSED Swag!
In order to enter simply do the following:
The deadline to enter is Thursday, March 15th. The winners will be announced on Friday, March 16th.
Thank you and good luck to all!!
Josie
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